By Ndumiso Ncube
Football has the power to unite the working class through solidarity that can combat and advance the fight against xenophobia, racism, sexism, and all forms of hate and oppression. In this regard, Orlando Pirates scored an own goal by turning down calls — including from COSATU and SAFTU — to boycott a “friendly” game against a right-wing associated Israeli team, Maccabi Tel Aviv. The match, won by the Pirates, was held on 13 July, as part of a pre-season camp in Spain. It is utterly disappointing that AmaBhakabhaka failed to show solidarity with the Palestinian masses, Palestinian footballers in particular, and against racism in general.
Pirates’ statement is empty
The club, in their statement, claimed “Orlando Pirates stand with those that believe a path exists for men and women of courage to continue coming together to find a lasting solution that South Africa proved to the world can be found when there is a will and courage”. While the question of tactics is debatable, the “leadership” — under the ownership of businessman Irvin Khoza — of the Pirates had no courage for even a minimal condemnation of the brutal attacks by the Israeli regime on the Palestinians and Palestinian football, nor for any expression of solidarity with the struggle for liberation.
The irony in the response issued by Pirates before the game is that they acknowledge the role the club played in fighting apartheid yet now they are unprepared to take a principled stance against oppression. In 1976 the Soweto Uprisings were kicked off when students planned to march to Orlando Stadium (Orlando Pirates’ home ground) on June 16. Although the club claims that it has always been on the side of the oppressed masses of South Africa, the club’s leadership is now clearly on the side of the capitalists who use “sportswashing” to cleanse their image.
Maccabi Tel Aviv, a record of racism
Supporting the call would have been appropriate in this instance because Maccabi Tel Aviv, owned by the Canadian tycoon Mitchell Goldhar, has a particular and especially more recent history of racism, including against Palestinians. Last year, the club team was ranked 1st in an Israeli report tracking racism in football. In January this year, the team got a penalty by the Israel Football Association for a multitude of incidents of racist calls by a dominant hardcore of the team’s fans, when it was noted: ”In the past 12 months, the defendant has been convicted up to this conviction 9 (!!!) times in the offense of racist chants“, and “an examination of the various chants reveals a wide and despicable repertoire of racist chants in addition to growls”, these included: “death to the Arabs”, “let the IDF fuck the Arabs”, “let your village burn”, “Muhammad is dead”, and more. The club’s adult division has also rarely had any Arab-Palestinian players, and those very individuals over the last decade have themselves described how they had to cope with prevalent, graphic racism.
The Pirates argued that the club could not boycott the game because there was no instruction from FIFA or SAFA to do so and this does not hold water. They also argued that the club had no role in deciding who they played against, although they did not clarify what possible sanctions they may have faced if they would have canceled the match. However, they did imply that canceling the match would have created “a conflict” within their club. If that is only a question of a controversy over a tactic, then they could have offered the fans to decide, and also, there are other forms of protest available to the club.
At the very least, Orlando Pirates could have acknowledged before the game the racism associated with the Maccabi Tel Aviv team and point out that it manifests support for and is an expression of the racist policies of the Israeli regime. Even if they were not prepared to miss the game, they could have made a protest statement or worn black armbands during the game to show respect according to football tradition. But they refused to show any kind of solidarity. As a football club that enjoys widespread support, it is irresponsible for Pirates to be ignorant of the injustices in society.
Israeli state-terrorism affects Palestinian football
In June, a 25-year-old footballer was killed during the latest wave of violent escalations by the Israeli regime against Palestinians. Omar Abu Qatin was a speedy and talented winger, playing for third-division outfit Turmus Aya. Not only has his team lost a talented player about to reach his prime, but his wife and 2 children have lost a husband and a father. He worked as an electrician Monday to Friday from 6-6 as his club could not pay enough for him to look after his family. Sadly, the attack that led to his death is not the first to lead to the death of a Palestinian footballer.
Omar Abu Qatin’s death is the second recorded death of a Palestinian footballer at the hands of the IDF in the last 7 months. At least 4 Palestinian footballers were killed in 2022 alone. In December 2022, IDF killed Ahmed Daraghmeh, who at the time was the fourth top goal scorer in the Palestinian league and the 229th Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in 2022. In March 2023, Israeli forces also threw teargas into Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in East Jerusalem during the league cup final game, leaving players and spectators gasping for air. Clearly, in addition to abusing basic human rights, the policies of the Israeli state go against the spirit of sport. Israel’s actions ensure that Palestinian football will never develop, through violence that kills players and supporters alike.
Silence means complicity
The Israeli state continues to oppress and kill, but the bodies running football have not condemned these barbaric actions. This is not surprising because FIFA has been proven to be a corrupt organisation, ready to accept money regardless of the cost to the working class. For example, FIFA was willing to ignore the prevalence of abuse against migrant workers in Qatar because the country could pay a high fee to host the World Cup. Furthermore, the fact that thousands of workers died while building the facilities for the tournament goes unnoticed due to FIFA’s complacency in the scourge of sportswashing. That many companies and governments are determined to wash their sins by using money to sponsor sporting events is not contested. The problem is that sportswashing allows the continuation of oppression and takes control away from the masses. FIFA accepts money from both corporations and governments seeking to wash their reputation by paying large sums of money.
Money makes the ball go round
FIFA has a long history of accepting dirty money. During João Hevelange’s tenure as president of FIFA between 1974 and 1998 companies such as ISL were granted special privileges in return for bribes. In other words, FIFA has been corrupt since before the ANC began looting state funds through corruption including state capture. Meaning that Orlando Pirates and other clubs do not have to wait for permission from FIFA to point out that it is wrong that people are dying due to the violence caused by the Israeli colonial occupation and oppression of the Palestinians.
Football does not take place outside of society
Factors affecting the working class also affect developments in sports. For example, lockdown measures implemented at the height of the covid pandemic stopped sporting events across the world in the same way that most industries closed down. Another example is that the number of African teams allowed into international competitions such as the world cup has varied as social conditions have changed. It took until 1978 for 2 African teams to feature at the world cup and this is no accident. This development was linked to changes in the geopolitical order in the world.
Egypt took part in the world cup in 1934 and was the only African country to do so during the colonial era. Even in 1966, 6 years after the so-called “Year of Africa” no African teams took part in the tournament. Morocco was the only African team at the 1970 world cup held in Mexico.
In a similar way, the ruling class in Spain has used Real Madrid as a symbol of Spanish nationalism for decades. Games that Real Madrid plays against Atletico Bilbao, FC Barcelona (el classico), and Real Sociedad, for example, are prone to violent clashes due to underlying political tensions. This is because the regions that these clubs come from desire independence from Spain. Therefore, there is no way to separate sport from the society in which it takes place.
Indeed, sports offer shelter from abuse and troubled households for many young people across South Africa. Sports such as football and netball play a vital role across communities, taking millions of young people off the streets and giving them hope. Orlando Pirates as one of the largest clubs in the country, has the responsibility to show leadership to the next generation. They could have shown the next generation that it is necessary to build solidarity and struggles to change society.
The failure to show solidarity with the footballers and people of Palestine shows that Pirates are not prepared to challenge the status quo. FIFA, SAFA, and other bodies are unwilling to challenge Israeli imperialism. These bodies have been captured in the cycle of money making which keeps the working class across the world in chains.
As a result, the working class cannot rely on these capitalist institutions to raise our voices and advocate our struggles. Since football is enjoyed by masses across the world, football clubs also have a role to play. All sports should be owned and managed by the working class – the people who support clubs and buy tickets to watch games. This includes Palestinians! Although Orlando Pirates failed to play a positive role in leading resistance against oppression, that is only one match. The working class, including supporters of sporting clubs, can still hold the ruling class to account. Not only can the working class hold clubs to account, but they can also play a decisive role in holding their governments to account.
We call on the working class to:
- Reject sportswashing
- Reclaim sports as a genuine and healthy recreational activity to be enjoyed by the masses. Big Business out of our sports clubs, for working class democratic control, for cheap fares.
- Stand in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, including via protest actions during and around sports matches
- Demand that FIFA and SAFA ban teams that are concretely associated with racism and xenophobia
- Demand accountability and fight against the ruling class’ attempts to pacify the masses by injecting money into sports
- For a massive government investment in electricity, housing, jobs, and sports and recreational infrastructure in communities across the country. Funding to be aided by higher tax on Big Business and the nationalisation of the banks.
This article was updated on 31 July 2023 to reflect more accurately the character of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
